Uncanny X-Men #179

"What Happened to Kitty?"
Published March 1984
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciller: John Romita Jr.
Inker: Dan Green
Cover Artists: John Romita Jr. and Dan Green

What's Going On?
After the events of last issue, Rogue, Storm and Wolverine visit the morgue to identify Kitty Pryde's corpse.  The body certainly appears to be Kitty, but Wolverine realizes that the scent is wrong; someone altered the corpse to fool the X-Men into believing that Kitty had died!  Storm, being an intelligent leader, realizes that the most likely culprit would be the Morlock Masque, and that he likely did not act alone.  It seems that this has all been a ploy to give Callisto and the Morlocks a chance to none-too-gently remind Kitty of the oath she swore to Caliban a while back (in Uncanny #170); she told Caliban that if he helped the X-Men on that occasion, she would stay with him forever.  Callisto decided that meant Kitty needed to be kidnapped and pressed into a shotgun wedding; the interpretation of oaths is a liberal art form, it seems.  While Kitty is physically repulsed by Caliban, she decides to keep her word and is willing to join the Morlocks as Caliban's bride.  Being a sensitive and sensible person who does not want a bride that gags at the sight of him, Caliban released Kitty from her vow, essentially because he did not want to crush the spirit of someone he loves. 

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- One of the benefits of being a Morlock (if only for a few minutes) is the ability to lend out the Morlock Healer.  At Kitty's behest, and with the help of Rogue, the Healer fixes Colossus up after he had been grievously injured by Avalanche and Pyro a few issues ago.

- Professor Xavier is once again incapacitated by a psychic scanning wave.  This is another prelude to Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars.

- Illyana references her time spent in Limbo, with an editor's note to check out her limited series for the full story --- on sale now!

- Caliban mentions the hope that someday he will be brave enough to live on the surface world in the future.

- After Rogue puts herself in harm's way to help save Colossus, Storm's thoughts show her warming to Rogue being an X-Man.  Wolverine gave her his seal of approval after she helped him in Japan, so this is one step closer to Rogue being accepted as a hero. 

Writing!
This issue is a great example of what I enjoyed about Claremont's writing during this era.  If you really think about it, not much happens in this issue of consequence.  The team healed up after a battle, and Kitty is released from her promise to Caliban.  It was a nice one-and-done issue, except that it wasn't.  This is actually the well-planned culmination of a story that could have easily been abandoned by the writer.  Let's face it: the Morlocks, as a group, are fairly one-dimensional and Claremont already spent plenty of time on them within the past year.  And yet, his choice to slowly build up this sub-plot in such a dramatic way --- the not-Kitty corpse really raised the stakes, even if there was no accountability for that deception in the end --- made this issue very satisfying and rewarding for readers that have been keeping up with the title on a monthly basis.  I also liked how easily Wolverine saw through the ruse and kept this story from dragging out over several issues, which would have lessened its impact; the Morlocks had not met Wolverine before, so naturally they would not think to hide something from his enhanced senses.  It's a simple explanation, but a good one.

Art!
I really like the way Romita Jr's style fits the Morlocks.  They look lumpy and grungy, like sewer-dwellers should.

I also liked his "civilian" Wolverine.  This is the first time I have seen him out of uniform where he looked dangerous, but not crazy.  I think it was the choice to shade the eyes.  Whatever it was, he looked pretty cool.

I also liked the splash page; it does sexualize the very young Kitty a bit, but JRJR does a good job conveying that she is drugged, which makes the panel feel less sleazy and more disturbing.

Also pretty cool: when Masque deliberately mangles Kitty's face.  It was a nice hint as to his villainous demeanor and his power set.

Retrospectively Amusing:
- I love that there is an old, moldy book about "Morlock Law" on the cover of this issue.  I'm willing to believe that the Book of Morlock has aged poorly, but who really believes they paid to get a book published and bound?

- So the X-Men show up to the morgue, identify the body, and presumably leave without filling out any paperwork or anything, because I am certain Kitty Pryde has never been legally dead due to the events in this storyline.

- Xavier has conducted a lot of tests on the X-Men over the years, and yet he has never done tests to establish health baselines for Colossus when he is in armored form?

- What is going on with Xavier?  When Karma disappeared in The New Mutants, he basically stated that he was sure she was alive because he would have sensed her death telepathically.  And yet, he seems shocked that Kitty was alive.  Psychic rapports: useful, until the moment the writer chooses to ignore them.

- Remember the purplish leather vest that Storm wore after she defeated Callisto in Uncanny X-Men #171?  The implication was that the vest was a sign of leadership over the Morlocks.  Well, apparently, Callisto had a spare vest in her closet.

- Kitty has the right (as a Morlock) to send the Healer to help Colossus.  Storm, leader of the Morlocks, is somehow unaware of this right.

- It's like the old saying: "If you love something, set it free.  If it immediately tells you that it doesn't love you, then it sure sucks to be you."

- Rogue is in charge of answering the letter column this month.  Her task: to reply to all the hate mail from the issue where she joined the team.

Worth Noting:
- Caliban's hope to join the surface world is the first real hint that he might play a larger part in the X-universe in the future.  Eventually, he becomes a supporting character in X-Factor and a member of X-Force.

Uncanny X-Men #176

"Decisions"
Published December 1983
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciller: John Romita Jr.
Inker: Bob Wiacek

What's Going On?
The newlyweds, Cyclops and Madeline, are on their way to their honeymoon destination when they encounter a storm while flying over the Pacific.  Their plane is hit by lightning, but they survive...only to encounter an aggressive giant sea squid.  But what chance does a giant squid have against the man who beat up all the X-Men last issue?

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- Wolverine confronts Mariko for calling off their wedding, back in Uncanny #173.  He correctly attributes their breakup to Mastermind's manipulations, but she argues that the things she did (apparently off-panel) under his influence were so bad (read: criminal) that she is honor-bound to fix the situation on her own.  If she dies in the process, it is up to Wolverine to to slay her remaining foes.  Wolverine tries to give back the Yashida Clan Honor Sword (given to him by Mariko in Wolverine (Vol. 1)), but she refuses.  Basically, he proved himself worthy when he killed her evil father, regardless of the cost; it is up to her to show that she is equally worthy by cutting Clan Yashida's ties to the Japanese underworld.

- Henry Peter Gyrich, the Marvel Comics designated "political bureaucrat who has to be involved in super hero matters," is invited to a meeting where mutants are seen as an increasing danger.  Magneto is the textbook example of how dangerous mutants can be (based mostly on his exploits from Uncanny X-Men #150).  The other reason for worry (according to the bureaucrats) is that mutants are popping all over the globe, even in Communist nations.  Remarkably, the usually insensitive and abrasive Gyrich comes across as very reasonable, while the typically sensible Val Cooper looks like a bigot.

- Callisto tells Caliban that she wants to make Kitty Pryde fulfill her promise (made in Uncanny #170) to live forever with Caliban in the Morlock sewers. Masque warns Callisto that this may cause conflict with their new leader, Storm.  Callisto hopes it does.

- Cyclops decides to not join his father and the Starjammers in their space adventures (the choice was last mentioned in Uncanny #174).  He wants to live a normal, non-super hero life with Madeline. 

Art!
This is John Romita Jr.'s first full issue on art, and one if his more annoying (to me, anyway) habits shows up right away.  He has this weird thing where he likes to overdo the cheekbones on female characters at times, making it look like their lower jaw is caving in.

Is it a big deal?  Not really.  It's just a Thing He Does that I'm not terribly fond of.  On the other hand, I loved his cloaked-in-shadows Wolverine, and he did a good job with the sea monsters and the underwater sequences.  Overall, the man is off to a nice start.

Writing!
This is one of those "slow" issues that frequently come after a major storyline ends, and that is perfectly okay.  Chris Claremont (at least, according to interviews looking back at the character) had intended for Madeline Pryor to simply be a doppelganger of Jean Grey and nothing more.  This issue ended with a caption reading "The Beginning;" this was Claremont's attempt to give Cyclops a happy ending, as he retires from the X-Men and begins a normal civilian life.  How different would this series have been if characters were allowed to actually do this?  It would be weird, right?  This issue served as a well-deserved bon voyage to a character that had lived a pretty tortured life up to this point.  Unfortunately, when Marvel decided to launch X-Factor, a lot of this progress was lost...

On the bright side, Claremont decided to have Wolverine and Mariko realize off-panel that Mastermind undermined their wedding.  Why that had to be off-panel, I don't know, but I disagree with the choice.

Retrospectively Amusing:
- Behold!  The color-changing bikini!  First it is black...

...and then it is white!

Could she have changed?  It's doubtful.  Is it important?  Absolutely not.  This is the sort of thing kids would try to get No-Prizes for.

- Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter spent half of a page complaining about Romita Jr.'s cover art.  That's an odd choice.

Everything 80's:
- Check out this ad for CBS' Saturday Morning Cartoon lineup.

The Little Rascals/Richie Rich?  Pac-Man?  Rubik, the Amazing Cube?  Menudo?!?  Good lord, what children went through in 1983!




Worth Noting:
- This is the last mention of the Yashida Clan Honor Blade/Sword for a good long while.  I think it next pops up in Wolverine (Vol. 2) #78.

- Finally!  Someone acknowledges that Mastermind ruined Wolverine's wedding!  The act that no one addressed this last issue really bothered me.

- Valerie Cooper makes her first appearance as someone that is alarmed with the "mutant problem."  This is an odd angle for her character, since she quickly becomes one of Marvel's most reasonable government (read: not bigoted) employees.

- Cyclops has officially left the X-Men and is now considered (by Claremont, anyway) retired from super heroing. 

Uncanny X-Men #169

"Catacombs"
Published May 1983
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciller: Paul Smith
Inker: Bob Wiacek

What's Going On?
When former X-Man Angel is kidnapped from his ritzy apartment by forces unknown, the X-Men are ready to track him down.  The team is shy a few members at the moment --- Wolverine is in Japan for his limited series and Cyclops has retired to Alaska --- so it is up to Storm to lead Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Kitty Pryde to hunt down their friend.  The trail leads the team to a vast network of underground tunnels (or "catacombs," if you want to swipe the issue's title), filled with hostile natives.  These humanoid underground dwellers (no telling yet if they are cannibalistic or not) call themselves the Morlocks.  Their leader, Callisto, had Angel kidnapped to serve as her trophy husband.  Naturally, the X-Men fight to save their friend, but they are overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the opposition.  Things don't look good for these X-Men, and it doesn't seem like help will be on the way.

Sub-Plots, oh the Sub-Plots!
- The White Queen has been struck down by an unknown psychic attacker, and is now in a catatonic stupor.  Her fellow Hellfire Club member, Sebastian Shaw, admits that only Charles Xavier could have done such a thing, but seriously doubts that Xavier would act like a villain.

- Xavier mentions some psychic interference that prevents him from keeping in contact with the team as they enter the Morlock tunnels.  This appears to be unrelated to what happened to the White Queen.

- Kitty hates her code-name, Sprite.  With yet another costume debuting here, is it time for a new code-name as well?

- Storm is having difficulty handling her emotions as leader of the team.  She is forcing herself to be cold and detached, which is disturbing her teammates greatly.

- Kitty winds up getting extremely sick, thanks to Plague, and is found and cared for by Caliban.  Caliban is still super creepy and wants to keep Kitty with him, underground, forever.

Writing!
This issue is a bit uneven.  There are things that I really like --- particularly the objectification of Angel in this issue (he doesn't even get any dialogue!), which turns the tables on your typical comic book gender roles.  I also liked Nightcrawler's naked trek across town; it was a fun use of his powers that shows both how far he has come in mastering them and an unintended disadvantage to being able to leave places immediately.

I was not crazy about the Morlocks, though.  I understand their appeal from a writing perspective --- mutants, like the X-Men, but not lucky enough to have "sexy" powers --- but I really think Claremont went in the wrong direction, introducing them this way.  Having an overly aggressive outsider culture --- they kidnap Angel and throw his girlfriend, Candy Southern, out of a skyscraper --- makes them automatically unsympathetic.  When you combine that with Callisto's ridiculously verbose introduction and her rapist undertones, this issue has a lot more "ick" than your typical X-Men issue.

Art!
Paul Smith does a good job making the Morlocks ugly in this issue, and the fight scenes look pretty good.  I like Kitty's new uniform better than anything she's had since her original outfit.  Domino masks are cool.

But when I think back on this issue, the one image that keeps popping into my head is a helpless Angel wearing what appear to be cloth diapers.  Was he not wearing underwear when he was kidnapped?

Retrospectively Amusing:
- Amanda Sefton comments that her mother taught her how to care for dragons, when Kitty leaves Lockheed in her care.  Ignoring the fact that Lockheed is an alien that may or may not match up with our understanding of "dragons," how does she say that and not have anyone react?  I know, her mother's a sorceress, but still...!

- With Angel kidnapped and Wolverine on leave, Storm asks if she can use borrow Wolfsbane to act as a tracker.  Xavier tells her absolutely not --- the New Mutants are not to be taken on "missions."  The message is that the New Mutants are to be kept out of danger.  Keep in mind that this is one month after they fought mutant-hunting Sentinels.

- Check out what Xavier is reading in bed:

Yes, that's an Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe gag.  Ha ha?

- Apparently, all it takes for Plague to make you deathly ill is for her to infect a single molecule on your person.  Yay, ridiculously over-powered characters!

- Callisto takes out Storm with a slingshot.  A SLINGSHOT.  Way to lead the team, Storm.

Worth Noting:
- This is the first appearance of the Morlocks, specifically Callisto, Masque, Plague, and Sunder.  Caliban made his first appearance back in Uncanny #148.

- Callisto's bravado reminds Storm of someone from her past that apparently wanted to rape her...

Pictured: six eyes, zero pupils

... which is a bit of a downer.  I believe this gets retconned by Claremont later on to explain why Storm doesn't kill, but it seems that the first take on this story is that she ran away.